the winner’s curse review

Sorry for being almost a month late in posting this. I was very busy with life and shizz.

I had no plans of reading anything in June because of Ramadan (religious month). Life is always hectic during that month. But then one night I was pretty much doing nothing and I opened a book and then one thing led to another. xD

First ever series where I gave 5 stars to all three books. If you want to know my complete thoughts, I did an in-depth review that you can read here. (CLICK CLICK!!) The first half is spoiler free. The next half has spoilers and you will be warned beforehand.

I loved reading these books. They were far more than what I expected and is one of my most recommended series now.

Another thing, I don’t link synopsis of sequels when I am doing a monthly wrap or reviewing a series because obviously if you read the synopsis of book 2, 3, etc, you can end up reading spoilers and that’s one thing I hate, ha.

I plan to put up a review for this book soon. This book was good and I liked reading it. I am just not that into contemporary novels but I do try to read a few now and then because I like to stay in the loop.

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Hope everyone had a good June and are reading some fun things this month too. I will catch you guys in my next post very soon.

Even though I decided I won’t be reading much during June and July, I just could not stop myself from starting another book. All I can say is I am obsessed with fantasy reads at the moment and even the thought of not reading one right after another scares me.

The Winner’s Trilogy caught my eyes on bookstagram. I haven’t noticed much hype around it or maybe the accounts I follow don’t post about it much. I looked it up on Goodreads and felt it was interesting.

Synopsis: Click here for Goodreads Synopsis (In case you haven’t read the books yet or have no idea about the storyline, please read the synopsis so you will have an idea what I am talking about in the rest of the post)

Plotline: I liked the story a lot. It had a strong base and the world and the characters were so thoughtfully created and placed in every scene. The whole fight for one’s rights and freedom was eye opening and thought provoking.

Writing: I absolutely adored the writing style. From Book 1 to Book 3, there was not even one place where I felt the flow was disrupted. It was so continuous and I admire such brilliance. A person’s writing evolves with time as any other skill would, so it can get hard for an author to write a series in the same way. So whenever one does I am always in awe. 😀 Also, complete series is from third person’s perspective which I now believe is awesome. (Thanks big bro!)

Feels: I won’t call this series one that revolves around just the romance. Yes, it was an integral part of this series but there was so much more to it. There was a lot of action in it and violence too. There were varying emotions invoked by family drama, acceptance, and approval. There was friendship and kinship that were tested throughout. I loved how every emotion was placed and there was never anything that made me feel like ‘oh, that’s overdone’.

Overall I won’t say this series killed me with the feels but it had so much stuff like slavery, oppression, etc., that was food for thought. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have liked it any other way. 🙂

Characters: So our main female character is Kestrel and for a change our heroine is not a badass ninja killer but a beauty with a strategist’s brain. Her moves are very calculated which makes it very interesting to read. Our main male character is Smith/Arin who has hidden secrets of his own but is not a pain in the ass or over the top perfect. He is an ordinary guy but with leadership qualities and is ever so humble and doesn’t realize his full potential. I loved these two character. They were so good to read. I loved their developing romance that got me so excited that I had to express it by updating my Goodreads status

Please bear with me; I am a sucker for romance. That’s what happens when you stay single for way too long and read romance/fantasy novels.

Books: I have thoroughly enjoyed all three books. They were such page turners.

The first book – The Winner’s Curse – lays down the foundation, explains the past, shows different relationship and portrays the developing romance between Kestral and Arin which is why it is my favorite book in the series.

The second book – The Winner’s Crime – has more strategies based with a lot of consequence. It was interesting but at the same time so infuriating because of certain characters and their ploys.

The third book – The Winner’s Kiss – is 60% war based but there was never a dull moment. I don’t like reading books that have wars or elaborate details because I am not that imaginative I believe. I got a little wary thinking I won’t be able to keep up with this book but I was kept interested throughout. And that’s saying something really.

All the three books are packed with emotions and feelings so it will never become just an action/war packed book, so don’t worry it won’t focus on just one topic! 🙂

Favorite Characters: If you’ve read the books you will know the people I talk about now. Apart from Kestrel and Arin, Roshar was my most favorite character. His humor was always oh-so-endearingly-sarcastic and on point. I love what he did in the end of the series. It will be a crime if I don’t include Little Arin to this list. Roshar might just have my head for it. Sarsine was such a sweet soul. I loved Ronan. There were parts where I was shipping him and Kestrel so bad. Verex and Jess’s were nice too.

My Rating for The Winner’s Trilogy as a Series: 5/5

My Individual Rating:

The Winner’s Curse: 5/5

The Winner’s Crime: 5/5

The Winner’s Kiss: 5/5

I rarely ever like all the books in a series the same way so it was quite a surprise when I checked my Goodreads profile to get the ratings for this review and saw I gave all the three books 5 stars. 😀

Do I recommend this series? As if you can’t tell. Hell yes!!!

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!!!SPOILER ZONE!!!

Please stop reading now if you haven’t read the series because I am going to crying about a few situations in the book in the section below. You’ve been warned.

Can we just talk about how freaking evil the Emperor was?? Character wise he was brilliant but I hated his cunningness and the power he had to do anything because he would never be questioned. By the time I was 70% done with The Winner’s Crime #2 I was soooo angry I wanted to punch him in the face. His always had a few tricks up his sleeves. Like Verex said to Kestrel, that it’s not about competition and more about experience. The Emperor had so much experience with manipulating people and getting his own way. I hated it when he threatened her not to cause more problems than she is worth. Grrr!! And Kestrel’s father – OMG!!! Why would he do what he did??? I was soooo heartbroken!!! Even though he slipped a few tears in the third book after listening to what happened to Kestrel, he could just not redeem himself in my eyes. I understand he was hurt… but what he choose to do to her was too much.

Can we also talk about me wanting to throw myself out of the window at the end of the first book when Arin asked Kestrel ‘what did you do?’ OMG!!! I fell more deeply in love with him that very moment. And then when he said ‘Please don’t do this, Kestrel, you don’t understand.’ And she argues that she does and he says ‘you don’t, Kestrel, even though the god of lies loves you.’ I was so heartbroken!!! Why do books give me such painful feels, man!! The kiss in the kitchen in the first book was so cute!! And when he says that we can find a way to be together here – oh gosh my heart was in my mouth. Too cute!!! And when he comes and saves her from the Tundra. I was so worried he would never get to know what happens to her. I loved his possessiveness and protectiveness. Can I please have an Arin on the go? Thank you.

Verex – I was so conflicted about him. I was guessing that maybe he would be gay that’s why he isn’t interested in Kestrel but just turned out he was in love with some other girl. I didn’t think he would care about Kestrel so much that he would try to help her but it was very sweet when it happened.

Let’s talk about Roshar a little more because I am obsessed with him lol but the way we get to know his sexuality and how he teases Arin after that is just super hilarious.

I liked the Herrani culture. It was so mythical. I especially loved the design of their houses. So many rooms for just one person, how cool!! Loved the idea of a garden between the east and west wing that belongs to the Wife and Husband. 😉